Blessed by the Goddess
by Kel Loves Snails
Summary: First fanfic-- please read & review!...Ralea Dartmoor is a starting-out blood witch and her coven, Mystica, is becoming one of the most powerful in Widow's Vale...Interesting stuff, please read--- heaps more to come.


Disclaimer: Cate Tiernan own this although I own Ralea and Hayden and anything you don't recognize  
  
Ralea stopped her car outside Practical Magick in her small, sleepy hometown, Widow's Vale. She braced herself before stepping out of her old black car into the freezing wind. A harsh gale blew straight into her face, making her wince and hunch her back against the snow now drifting dreamily in the dark gray sky. She clutched the pentagram at her throat absent-mindedly and felt warm flood through her as she stepped through a crystal curtain into her favourite store.  
  
As she greeted Alyce warmly, Ralea looked around her favourite store as she did every time she came- about once a day. Purple velvet curtains draped lazily across the windows and sparkling charms hung from the roof everywhere (sometimes she had to duck to avoid one in her eye). Athames of every size stood against walls or in cases, and filled bookcases lined almost every wall. Ralea stepped towards the books, scanning through the volumes with expert eyes. When she found the section she was looking for, she tugged out a heavy, leather bound book whose title read "Candle Uses for Coven Circles". She tucked it under her arm. Just as she was about to turn away, her eyes fell upon a black, velvet-bound book jammed in between two heavy spell books. She tugged it out and blew off the dust that covered the gold- embossed title. In thin, elegant handwriting, the words Book of Shadows spiraled across the soft velvet cover. Flicking through the marbled, gold-bordered pages, Ralea realized her own Book of Shadows was in need of replacing- its pages were almost full.  
  
After making a quick stop to the candle section- she needed some tall white candles for tomorrow night's circle with her coven, Mysica- Ralea hurried to the counter and let her items tumble from her tired arms.  
  
On the way home, Ralea thought about tomorrow night's circle. Her coven, Mystica, had started off inexperienced about two years ago. Since then, everyone in it had learned a lot and Mystica had grown to become one of the most powerful Blood witch covens in Widow's Vale. Ralea had discovered her Wiccan gift about a year before she started the coven- she and her best friend Bess were the only blood witches in the group.  
  
Frustrated, Ralea tore through her wardrobe, searching for something to wear to tonight's circle. Finally she settled on a long, chocolate brown skirt sewn with sequins and crystals and a black strapless top. Ralea studied her reflection in the mirror. Her blonde hair tumbled to her shoulders in waves and her deep forest coloured eyes glistened behind long, mascara-lined lashes. Her even eyebrows sat, perfectly and painfully plucked, over her eyes and were met by a few stubborn pieces of hair. Applying a last layer of lip-gloss to her soft, full mouth, Ralea turned from her reflection in the bathroom mirror and left her parent's house.  
  
Arriving early at the destination for the circle- an abandoned farm now overgrown with pine trees and ferns- Ralea set up the candles on rocks and on the ground and sprinkled rose petals across the soft brown earth. A pile of freshly cut flowers from her garden sat on a small table and a circle was drawn with chalk on a bricked area nearby. Suddenly, Ralea felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "Hi!" said Hayden, a member of Mystica.  
  
"Sorry I'm early- I thought I'd come and help you set up. Here," at this, he thrust a basket of perfect green apples into her arms. "I thought we could use these."  
  
"Thanks!" replied Ralea, her stomach secretly dissolving in a wave of candle wax that was going to freeze any second. "I'm sure we will be able to use them- they look delicious." She found the strength to smile up at him and wished she hadn't when she found herself looking into his eyes. They were a beautiful shade of gold; summer and autumn at once with shimmering rays of sunshine and earthly tones of falling leaves. She was caught by his gaze. Hayden was leaning down slightly and staring at her with a completely serious look spreading across his face...  
  
A/N Hey people....this is my first fanfic so please review!! Thank you for reading it ( 


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